AU Passport‘ll boost tourism and hospitality industry —Dutta

Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry might overtake the downstream sector by 2021 if the recently launched African Union (AU) passport is adopted by the country’s legislators.
According to the Country Manager of Africa’s number one hotel booking portal, Jumia Travel Nigeria, Mr. Kushal Dutta, the Pan-African Passport will allow free movement of domestic tourists into the country.
Kushal made the remark recently while fielding questions from journalists on the potential of the Nigerian tourism and hospitality industry as an alternative to boosting the country’s economy.
He emphasized that the opportunities presented by the unified African passport supersede the threats, especially now that oil might not be sufficient to grow the economy.
He also noted that the reality of the dwindling oil prices and the drop in foreign exchange is now being felt across all sectors.
This is even as experts from various sectors are daily brainstorming on diversification opportunities to prevent the country from going on recession.
“In Nigeria, industry leaders have listed the hospitality industry among the sectors with the most opportunities for growth in the next five years. Breaking the barrier of free travel for other African countries to come to Nigeria is a potent way of enhancing the growth of the hospitality industry. Although, there is no gainsaying that the unified AU passport will also have some demerits such as unmonitored inflow of migrants and perhaps criminals from one country to another,” he said.
Kushal also looked at the opportunities the AU passport will bring for the African continent, stating that, there will be an increase in domestic tourism in the continent and this will pave way for increase in job creation.
He cited the 2015 report on Travel and Tourism Industry in Africa which indicated that the industry generated approximately nine million jobs directly, representing 3.0 per cent of total employment) and a growth forecast of 0.3 per cent in 2016 (2.9% of total employment).
This includes employment by hotels, restaurants, travel agents such as Jumia Travel and airlines among others. It is predicted that by 2026, the industry will account for about 11.7 million jobs directly in Africa – an increase of 2.5% per annum over the next decade.

It will be recalled that the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) recently rolled out a number of measures, including technical assistance, capacity building and the revision of Nigeria’s Tourism Master Plan, as part of efforts to ensure the development of tourism in the country.
The UN Agency made the announcement at the end of a two-day meeting between the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and the global tourism agency in Madrid, Spain.
President Muhammadu Buhari had at the 2016 National Summit on Culture and Tourism in Abuja, similarly stated that Tourism and Culture, which had been neglected in the past, would soon be the bedrock of Nigeria’s economy.

Champion Newspapers Limited is a national
English language newspaper in Nigeria. We are one of the nation’s foremost newspaper brands enjoying a readership spread that cuts across all classes and with product visibility across the length and breadth of the country.
Our niche is very well celebrated and the market rates us as the media gate way to the East.
We publish everyday of the week; each of our offerings comes with regular features, Business News, Energy, Oil & Gas, Insurance, Politics, Infotel, Law, Arts, Travel and Tours, Brands and Promotions, Motoring, Properties and Environment, Consumer affairs and sports.
>>More>>